The daily herald. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1886-1887, 1887-03-19
SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 1887.
MUNICIPAL INCORPORATION.

A conference of thoughtful gentle
men at the Club House dining rooms
the other day did the HERALD the
honor of addressing letter to it, call
ing for discussion Of certain questions
relative to the event OF a scheme Of
municipal government being made a
living issue. The first question pro
pounded by our correspondents re-
ferred to tie matter Of the municipal
suffrage. Who are to have the govern
ing voice in the new city Of Honolulu's
ahairs1 They raise the point in that
connection as TO whether a dual fran.
chise be involved, one for national and
another for municipal affairs. Taking
the latter point first, there would be
nothing out Of the way or unprece-
dented in dual franchise, should it
be decided that comprehensive and
practicable system Of municipal govern
ment could not otherwise be attained.
If municipal government be once de
termined upon by the property owners
as essential to the adequate progress OF
the city, a scheme that would be gener
ally satisfactory and workable would
have to be devised. The franchise,
like everything else involved, would
have to be adapted to the circumstances
Of the case. As stated by the present
writer, in the course Of series of arti-
Giles in another local paper about eigh'
teen months ago, there is no hope
of the principal property owner!
looking for a betterment Of civic
administration, under any corpo
rate system ruled by the elect
crate that now returns representative:
to the national Legislature. A con
temporary writer understood to BIZ
speaking for the Government jumped
at the opportunity Of making politca
capital out of the bare mention OF any
thing Of the kind, making Transporter
appeal to native prejudices against tn,
foreign element under the natural bu
mistaken notion that the idea opposed
came from any party in national poll
tics. Yet the journal referred to ha
not till this day replied to the questio
given 1t, as to whether il was prepare
TO advocate consigning municipal go,
eminent apart from all national admin
istration to the electors who control tn
return OF representatives of Honolul
to the Legislature. To return to Ii
point, dual or even triple suffrage
not unknown to other countries. Und,
some federal constitutions, there
one franchise for federal, a second f,
provincial and a third for municipi
elections. In some parts of the Unite
States even the municipal franchise
subdivided, women being allowed
vote for school trustees but not f
officials. The writer has himself vote
in federal and provincial elections in
city ward where he was dlsfranchist
from voting for mayor and alderma
like thousands Of other householders
the same city, on account of nege
to pay small municipal tax that W
left entirely optional. 1t was a GU
Gus law but there it was, although, aft
great many years of submission to
lately it has been resisted, we are n,
certain with what success, in the court
The question as to what the munic
pal franchise should be for Honolu
is not an easy one. There are Il
Chinese, the always.with-us Chinese,
our correspondents sagaciously remin
ed u.s. 1t seems to be utterly out
the question to rule the Chinese OF
If the municipal government is to
altogether cosmopolitan as it must
in great part. The Chinese won
have to be specially and locally tax,
for Improvements in their quarter, al
on their premises wherever such a
isolated from the chief colony
would not be fair, manifestly, and
might be an occasion OF serious tro